Ultraman Flare: Episode 10
Appears * Machine Empire: ** Machine Empire Queen: ** Machine Empire General: ** Ray-Yu: ** Machine Empire Saucers: ** Alpha One: Characters * Teelak: * Ultraman Zwei (Alt): Referred to as Jack * Ultraman Orion (Alt): * Ultraman Prime (Alt): * Ultraman Impulse (Alt): * Ultrawoman Luter (Alt): * Ultraman Torrent (ALT): * Ultraman Giga (ALT): Pending Part 1 The young man stood among the rolling green hills, silently, as the winds swept past him. He did not feel the chill, or water in the air. He simply stared out into space. He wore a simple cream jacket, with a grey scarf, and a black jeans, with leather boots. His skin was slightly tan, his eyes a bright green and his hair was messy, a bit too long, and black. He simply looked out into the distance as a mammoth like creature and its calf, walked past him, not even feeling the trembling earth. Instead his eyes were lock into the distant space, across time, into a memory, of himself with his girlfriend, shopping in a grey city, beneath grey skies. "Lost in the past...?" asked Sol. The figure had rich skin, red and blonde hair, flowing wildly like fire, and green eyes, much brighter than even his. He wore long white flowing robes, with long sleeves in which he he hid his arms as he put his fists together, and a Egyptian style necklace, bronze thread with jade and gold tiles. "It can be hard to find yourself in there..." The young man, Luke, awoke, snapped back to reality by his father's voice, and clearly annoyed for being pulled back. "Is she still alive...?" "Give the time you've been gone, and the temporal relativity of inter universal travel caused by the 'relative timelessness of interspace'...no, she died several centuries ago." Luke sighed, clearly upset. "Would it kill you to have some humanity...?" Luke noticed the silence, and turned to his father, now with a raised eyebrow. "What...?" "Nothing, I'm just amazed by the utter irony of that statement." "I don't...what did you mean, all those years ago...?" "I use the term 'god' to describe myself, but it is the quickest and easiest word for that, but 'Cosmic Being' more accurately describes me, though less are likely to understand." "I got that..." "We exist for a purpose, we are define by our purpose, our actions are driven by our purpose. We are all-powerful, but All-Power is our prison." "I don't understand, how can trying to be free, be the cause of all of this...?" "Then you have learned nothing...When someone steps outside of their station, it is often others that fall to fill the gap. Much of life is me making up for my hubris, and watching other pay for my mistake..." Luke heard the bitterness in his voice. "Why am I here...?" "You are here...to do as you please. There is a war going on in this universe, between the Ultras, and the Machine Empire." "What...someone can challenge the Ultras...?" "Many often do, not just Kaiju. Many civilization have created weapons and devices to wrestle control of the stars from them in many universes." "But...You've told me not to interfere...!" "Indeed, you were a petty, hot-blooded youth, full of self-righteous folly. Now...do as you please." "What, no, no! You can't just...for centuries-" "Millennia actually..."Luke growled. "For millennia, you've had be follow your orders, obey you!" "And hopefully you learned, 'why' you should obey me. Child, do you remember who you are, what I made you to be?" "Your servant, your minion, your weapon!" "Did I...?" Sol replied, clearly from his tone it was less a question, and more "Yes...!" "Really now..." "Are we going to go about in a circle...?!?" "That is up to you." "Is this some manner of test...?" "When is life not testing us? Go forth child, and do your will. You do remember what that is?" Sol faded away, and Luke reach out and grabbed at him, catching only air. "How am I supposed to know what that is?!?" he shouted into the air. Part 2 "Fire...!" Shouted the Machine Empire Commander. He wore a green uniform, much like his face and hair, gloves, and a cape. His hair was synthetic strands of a pale green, while his face was a block with a red vertical rectangular optic, over his horizontal rectangular mouth piece. He stood upon a bridge surrounded by crew of humanoid drones connected into the computer via wiring and tubing. It was hard to tell where the drone started and ship ended. Outside, his ship opened fire on the numerous Ultras they were fighting with, some of whom wrestled against the robotic kaiju his ship and the others were sending out to fight them. His order of 'fire' wasn't against the general Ultras however, it was against a specific on, flying towards his ship, his bridge, surrounded by an aura. The luminous being smashed through his ship's particle field and smashed into his bridge, crushing him and his drones down to their cybernetic brains. With that done and now protected by the ship's shield, the Ultra, performed a Specium Ray down the spine of the ship. The shields came down and he took of at high speed as the ship exploded. Orion, in his red form, tore off the mechanical monster's arm and sent it flying back with a flame covered punch destroying it. Jack flew over towards him, as did Lutear. "This is taking far too long..." said Jack "At this rate, we risk being overrun and there are other solar systems in need of backup!" "It's worse than that, some of our comrades have been captured..." said Luter "I cannot imagine what has happened to them!" Orion heard them, but he did not seem to pay any attention. He simply pointed forward, towards the distance, to a strange red, and yellow light, a star with a green core speeding towards them from behind the enemy fleet. "What...?" asked Orion "Is that...?" Flare flew towards them surrounded by his aura. He crossed his arms and pointed his arms forward, as the stars seemed to beam soft light towards him, as if blessing his endeavor. Flare began to spin, throwing of orbs of energy, that followed him as he spun, the mass of spheres, going following the line of light he had become that dashed through the Machine Empire fleet. Their shields did little to stop the spheres from crashing into their near saucer shaped vessels and destroy them, inflicting grievous losses upon them until Flare stopped before the Ultras, hands raised above his head and the remaining spheres above him. He turned around and with a wave of his hand, sent the remaining spheres into the last ships destroying them and leaving only their robotic monsters.. "An Ultra...?" asked Orion. "Not completely..." said Prime, floating down to place himself between Flare and the three. He looked at his wrists, neither sported a bracelet, a symbol of membership in the Space Patrol. "Not truly, who are you?" Prime...was not used to the look Flare gave him. He had never seen an Ultra look at him, save his father, with such...unimpressed eyes, such...indifference. "Flare, Ultraman Flare..." he responded. "Ultraman?" Prime remarked as the battle began to die down behind them. "You have no bracelet, you clearly have not taken the Vow of Ultra, how is it you bear that title...?" "Vow of Ultra..." Flare noticed the bracelets everyone wore. "If you like you may refer to my 'true name'; Cinder Ultranoid Pattern: 'Flare'." "That sounds synthetic, like you were made in a tube..." Prime said with a tone. "Yes well, my father crafted me by hand, or so I'm told, who spawned you...?" "My Queen..." said the individual, a blue painted feminine mannequin of a construct in a sparkling blue dress. She came and knelt before her queen, who was situated in a black room, the dome roof showing galaxies and bright nebulae and stars. She had a black body and a white face, pale. Her slender frame wore a long flowing black dress that also showed galaxies and stars. Upon her brow was a brown, a small circlet with several blue stones and one red stone over her forehead. "I know already..." she said with a cold tone. "So the Ultras have brought forth a new model. We need to capture it quickly, if we need to stay ahead in the arms race. Call the General." "Huh..." said Flare, coming out of the portal "Pretty..." He looked upon the homeworld of these giants, a world several times that of Earth, surrounded by three spheres of plasma and situated in a bright colorful nebula. It sported land masses, floating in orbit, composed of crystal, but the structures upon them, and the planet proper, were constructed a wooden substances, shaped and tooled the shapes required. The planet it self seemed to posses a prismatic aura that gave a feeling of gentleness. "Is that all you have to say...?" asked Prime annoyed. "You're looking at the jewel of the cosmos...!" "Well, 'this' cosmos..." said Flare. Behind them all the other Ultras were coming through. "Oh, so you're saying you're homeworld is better...?" "Hmmm, I have never seen my 'homeworld'." "What...?" "My earliest memories were out in the universe, fighting monsters, policing it." "So you're Tubeborn..." "I was craft from a piece of my father's soul. I am not familiar with this term, but I can guess, and from what I guess...no." "Right..." Prime responded with barely veiled annoyance "Come with me." "Where to?" "Space Patrol Academy...The rest of you return to your barracks, your homes, rest up, and be ready for deployment." Prime flew off, and Flare followed him. "This has been a weird day..." said Orion. "Yeah..." Jack replied. Part 3 "A subspace cell...?" said Flare, with an annoyed stance as he stood in a white void. There was a circular window, showing the outside world where Prime and two red Ultras with crest blades, stood. "You're a civilian interfering with official military business." said Prime "I will not have this war compromised because..." "Oh shut it, boy, you're a brat with a bruised ego, if your war effort is so important then fly off and stop bothering me with your presence..." Prime's eyes flashed bright red, before he controlled himself. "You will be taken before an arbiter when there is time! Until then, enjoy your accommodations..." With that he walked of and Flare turned around. "You know father, I must admit I'm rather...disappointed with these natural Ultras..." Sol simply hovered in his 'human' form, at a size comparable to his son's. "To be fair, no one is perfect. This Prime boy means well ultimately, but he's living proof nepotism often doesn't work." "How did he get that position then...?" "He's powerful, almost as powerful as you, he is highly trained, but he is young. His strength and his bloodline saw him elected as he is the son of King." "He's a prince...?" "Even with their long lives the Ultras have forgotten that they abolished their monarchy. King is just a title, of the one who guards King's temple their moon, where their most sacred treasure and most dangerous secret lies. In truth, King did not elect his son to his position, others did that, in awe of where he came from." "I see...Why am I here...?" "You came here, you tell me, why did you come here...why are you such a sour sort? You know better than to sink to this level." "Well, I would answer but you're all-knowing..." "Indeed, then I suppose it makes no sense answering your questions." "Do you get a kick out of this, just putting me through these tests, these trials that you know I'm going to fail, that were rigged from the start?!?" Sol was silent and Flare growled as his eyes glowed red, until he spoke again. "This is not funny!" "Is anything ever...? Regardless there is a purpose to these 'trials'..." "What...?" "For you to learn." "How many thousands of years old am I...?" "Not old enough, never old enough if that is your opinion. You are bitter and tired with the world and now you think you know all there is to it. How foolish, especially of one from my own womb. There is always something to learn. For example, this space station is their military academy and it has so many techniques and combat styles stored in its data banks waiting for young Ultra and old Ultras to come and absorb." "What are you saying...?" "Learn, you could learn here, or...you could learn from King. I suspect he has much more to teach you." "Was...was that your great plan, to get me a teacher? Why can't 'you' teach me, oh great and 'wise' Sol?" "Last time I tried to teach you...I was gravely disappointed. Perhaps you will do better learning from someone who doesn't bring emotional baggage to the metaphorical dojo?" "Fine, get me out of here then..." "You got yourself in here, completely and ultimately...you can get yourself out..." "What, I don't know how!" Sol raised an eyebrow. "Did you enter this prison with no plan of escape, nay, did you enter the beasts jaws, expecting your all-powerful father to rescue you? If so then disappointment is going to be mutual between us, I suspect." "That is uncalled for..." "I think not. You are a Cinder Ultra, well mostly a normal Ultra, but the Giant Energy within you was designed not just from the Specium that Ultras use, but the particle energy they use with it to manipulate it. You 'can' get out of here, on your own. You 'will' escape on your own, and if you wish to do so...well I suspect you should start meditating." "Why...?" "Ultra local wireless communications is psychic based." Sol faded away and Flare sat down, crossing his legs, putting his fists together as his eyes turned off. Prime entered the golden halls of the Ultra temple, golden crystals, with markings in them, and an every present golden glow. He came to room where his father King was, standing atop a pool of blue light, and seemingly talking to someone he could not see. "Finally going senile father...?" King turned around and though Ultra face was practically like masks, his look of annoyed disappointment pierced through Prime. "What...?" "Why did you imprison him...?" "What...?" "The one called Flare..." "Oh, that false Ultraman..." "You do not get to decide who is or is not an 'Ultraman'. When last I check you did not have ownership over the Vow of Ultra..." "As your son it is my responsibility..." "You do not have ownership!" Prime was silenced "Your pride is such a terrible shame, had those fools listened to me you never would've been put in this position..." Prime clenched his fist. "So I'm not good enough...!" "There are others, who are older and more experienced. Powerful though you may be, the fate of the galaxy is great weight upon the heart." Prime grumbled. "All of this, for a fake Ultra!" "Just as the form of Ultra is not unique to this planet, it is also not unique...to this universe. Besides, you're just distrustful of him because his power rivals, nay, surpasses yours." "Father!" "Am I wrong...?" "Perhaps, or perhaps you just have a thing of choosing outsiders over your own flesh and blood! First that...alien and now!" King's eyes flashed red and a pulse of great rage flood the room. It was a flash, over as soon as it had begun and Prime found himself knocked down to his backside. "I take great issue with whoever raised you with such backwards thoughts! 'Alien', 'outsider', are the exiled nobles, poisoned by their own pride and conceit, turned into giants of darkness and cast out the inequity of their ways was shown on their very skin?!? A warrior, powerful and skilled came to your aide of their own volition, and your only concern is that they could out shine your light?!? Shamed am I!" "Well maybe you should make them the Supreme Commanders if you're so proud of 'them'!" King turned around as Prime sat up "Pride is not the opposite of shame, boy, it is its source." Prime was silent, understanding the depths of his words. "You will release 'Ultraman' Flare, and bring him to me." "What, why, he..." "He can leave that cell whenever he so pleases, though I sense anger like yours he at least knows how to keep himself calm." "I see..." said Prime with a sour tone "Very well, I will bring him here..." "And Prime..." "Yes, father...?" "It is nice to see home safe and sound." "...Thank you father..." Part 4 Flare could only ponder if this was the true reason for his father, dumping him here. His mind surfed the Ultra equivalent of the internet, examining techniques and skills taught in the academy's curriculum. At the moment his mind had wondered to the other uses for Ultra Energy, how it could be used, practically like meta-material, morphed and altered at the user's discretion if they knew how, and he was learning. Flare had begun to notice that a part of him was learning faster than the rest. As he examined the information, he found himself instinctively memorizing the principles. It was then he remembered, a part of him, the part that first brought back his powers was 'synthetic'. While he did indeed posses the power of the light, a part of him was something that, if he remembered correctly, mimicked the powers of Ultras. It was now he was beginning to question what he was. Was he Ultra, was he some synthetic mimicry, an advance mimicry, or something else entirely? Did that single spark from his father still exist within him. "What am I...?" he mused out loud. "You are Ultraman Flare." said a voice. It was clearly not his father's, sounding old, and grandfatherly. "What that means, however, will ultimately be up to you." "Who are you...?" "Prime will show you the way to me..." "Prime, is an-" "I know what he is, and that is no way for one who has taken the Vow of Ultra to speak." "The Vow..." "You do not know it, yet your father gave you that name, that 'title', Ultraman. It means something here, perhaps you are here to discover it, while the meaning still exists." "What do you mean by, 'still'?" "We face the greatest threat to our existence in recent memory, I would move but...perhaps you would understand if you came here." The circular portal that was the door to the cell opened, as Prime entered. "You are called upon." he said. Flare sat up. "Oh, by whom...?" "By King." Flare came down upon the massive crystal landmass upon which was a large Greek style temple. This entire mass served as the moon of the planet. With him was Prime and two soldiers, yet for the moment they may as well not exist to Flare, for when he touched the surface of King's temple, he felt a jolt. His senses were attuned to something greater than what the other Ultras could sense. There were two powers on this satellite, well three, but one was an incredibly powerful Ultra, the other two... One was serene, and the other was savage, savagery incarnate, and he could tell these things had sensed him. "What wrong with you...?" asked Prime, sensing Flare's shock. "You three may leave..." said King's voice. "What...? Father, we can't-" There was nothing more to say. Flare disappeared in a flash of white light, and Prime knew his father had taken him. Flare found himself in King's private chamber, standing upon a pool of blue light with spheres rising up. Flare looked around, and somehow he knew what the light was, and somehow he knew what the red tribal style markings on his body meant. "How..." said Flare before pausing "Does your son know about the burden you carry...?" "No..." replied King solemnly "I would very much like to keep it that way..." "Why...?" "He has enough to worry about. Besides we parents often do not like troubling our children with our problems." "Huh, my father could learn a thing or two from you..." "I doubt that, your father is simply more strict than I am..." Flare paused. "You speak as if you know him..." "Oh, all old people know each other..." King replied with an amused tone. Flare was simply annoyed. "What does Ultraman mean...?" he asked, angrily changing the subject. "In this universe, Space Patrol is the organization which serves the galactic community in maintaining peace and sanity across the stars. We who serve in this organization take the Vow of Ultra." "A vow...?" "It is the difference between an Ultra, and an 'Ultraman'." "I fail to see the difference." "Names of meaning, and titles especially so. Name identify us, identities in verbal form, but titles...titles represent that which we aspire to, that which we were meant to be. You say your real name is 'Cinder Ultranoid Pattern: Flare', but your father, he calls you 'Ultraman' Flare, does he not?" "I fail to see the relevance." "Because you are angry..." "I am not angry!" "Then, why are you shouting...?" Flare paused and looked down in shame. "Am I a pawn, was I created just to be his minion, and he calls me 'son' to keep me on a leash, does he even care?" "I...cannot, do not have the right to answer that, but I do know something. Whatever he wanted you to be, he gave you the title of 'Ultraman' in hopes of what you would be." "...What is the vow...?" "You can find it on the Space Patrol Headquarters." "Not going to make it that easy huh...?" "Well as a wise mentor figure, and mystical figure of legend, I do have a responsibility to be somewhat mysterious..." King said with a jovial tone. "So why are you at war...?" King's amusement was gone. "There is a race of cyborgs, ruled by a faschist system, the nobles of that species became immortal cyborgs, while their people were turned into mindless drones. They dwelled on their world for ages, until the obvious happened. Having taken very little care of their population, their 'drones' were breaking down...dying out. Leaving them without a workforce. So they turned to invading other worlds for slaves. We put a stop to this, and we made peace by sharing technology that made their need for conquest obsolete. However, they wanted more." "They wanted the power of Ultra." "They hold to the belief that we are cyborgs like them, the ultimate cyborgs, for their is the conceited belief that cybernetics are the ultimate form of life, that 'they' are the ultimate form of life. When we could not give them what they ask for, our 'cybernetic means' of reproduction...they began this war, calling together other invasive races to fight us across the stars." "So in short, they're a bunch of pompous gits, that you tried to be nice towards and that just blew up in your face..." "Yes, to put it...eloquently..." "Hmmm, they don't seem that hard to destroy..." "A word of advise, being a 'super Ultra' is mainly a reference to how many power you can output. Just because you can break planets does not mean you are beyond harm's reach...as I and your father know very well..." "What do you mean...?" "That is business between him and his son...if only because I know the legends of his temper." Flare turned to the side. "Remember that as you go into battle." Part 5 "How did they get so close...?" asked Prime. He was one among many Ultras in front of the Land of Giants. "If I had to guess..." said Torrent "Advance cloaking technology, or hyperspace shunt." "That would explain why they haven't gotten here yet." said Giga. As if in response, a field of white light appeared in the distance, expanding like a scar across space, the Machine Empire ships, their robotic cyborg monsters, and their lesser saucers all came out. Yet that was not the main issue. With all three members of the big three here at one time, it was highly unlikely even a force of this size would've won. Yet such feelings of confidence began to fade when the metal world of the Machine Empire began to materialize. "Impossible..." said Prime realizing what had been done. "They 'remodelled' their own planet?!?" "Calm yourself..." said Torrent. "Your right...still we need to figure out how to stop that thing." "I may be able to help with that..." said Flare. The three were surprised to see him behind them suddenly. "What are you doing here, you're not..." Flare silenced by putting his finger on his lip. "Shhhhhhhut it..." He flew out before the host of Ultras and stood up straight. He put his hands together, forming a sphere of energy around them, as his color timer shined, collecting star light in the form of particles and beams. He began to spin like a while, his color timer the axle. The energy around his hands began to form a circle that spiraled in and out turning the spinning Ultras into a disc, a gold and red, disc that fired a beam straight at the mechanized planet. The red beam had oscillating distortions of space around it, and destroyed any and all things in its path before it slammed into the Machine Empire's homeworld, and began to push it back. "Everyone, charge! Protect the beam!" Prime shouted as he and the other Ultras charged at the now advancing Machine Empire Horde. The two sides clashed, with the Ultras and the cyborg monsters and ships clashing with each other. "This was not expected..." said the queen. "If this keeps up, we will not...we cannot allow ourselves to be held back. The secrets of the Ultras are within our grasp!" She clenched her fist. "What of the samples what have they revealed?!?" Out of the dark came a cyborg with a green body and suit, hunched over in fear. "Unfortunately..." he said sheepishly "despite the presence of inorganic elements, these substances exist within a plasma state around which their biology seems to function." "What...?!?" She raged. "The Ultras, we have...detected no cybernetics within them..." Tentacles reached out of the dark and grabbed him. "Do not lie to me...!" "I'm not, your highness, I cannot." "They have diodes, their eyes turn off when they sleep!" "I know, but...but...all their biology appears to be some sort of organic material, we are not familiar with..." The queen screamed as she ripped him apart. "General...!" out of the dark the general came. "Destroy that Ultra..." "It will be done..." "No...wait...bring him to me, alive if you can...use the new weapon." Moments later a ship flew up from the surface of the planet, away from the side being blasted upon by Flare's beam. This jet black vessel sported a large glowing core, surrounded by the rest of the ship, its front was split into and it had engine pods on the side almost like arms. This ship sped towards Flare's position, knocking away Ultras with its laser cannons, and withstanding their counter attacks via its shield. Its powerful beams were directed upon Flare who withstood them, and even the powerful beam from its core which was blocked by several Ultras working tandem to create a shield. However, they suddenly all moved as Flare, moved, turning his beam on the ship. The force that was pushing back an entire planet, was far more than the vessel's shields could have hoped to stop. Within moments it was torn apart by tidal forces and vaporized, but not before someone escaped. A large, bulkier Ray-Yu with flags on its back flew through space and came down on Flare with a blade on its forearm extended outward. However, instead of striking Flare, Flare caught it in his bare, glowing hand. To the General's surprise his machine was being overpowered, Flare twisted his arm, moving it to the side. "You..." said the general "You truly are the next model of Ultra..." "I'm not even from this universe..." said Flare "Even so, I'm the only Ultra in this place who comes closest to your misconception about Ultras, and I do emphasis 'closest'." "If that is the case, then why are you fighting us, because you're Ultras...?!?" "I need a reason to beat your kind, your kind, not very difficult to understand..." "Pompous fool, the Queen-" "Can get bent for all I care. You're a vainglorious pack of fools delivering suffering and misery to the stars as you sulk in your prideful despair. My father once told me extinction has a place in the universe...I never believed him until I met your kind..." "Pompous cur!" He swung his other arm, but Flare blocked it. He then twisted his machine's arms and positioned it between him and the planet before place his foot on its chest. "What-" Before he could react, the G-Forces of Flare's kick nearly knocked him out as he was sent hurdling towards his homeworld. "Please..." said Lutear flying to Flare, hunched over "Orion and the others, you have to help them...!" "What happened...?" "They were taken prisoner, into that planet...!" Flare looked towards the sphere, and moved as a flash of light, grabbing the general and flying towards the planet, using him as a shield. "Wretch...!" shouted the General, unable to move due to the acceleration. Soon enough, the two crashed landed onto the metal surface of the Machine Empire's home world. Turrets rose out of the ground and fired upon the crater that Flare and captain had made. In response a beam fired out of it and the smoke, moving in arcs to destroy the turrets. Flare flew up into the air, spinning as gold and green particles gathered to him, and were suddenly flung off as energy bombs, landing all around and devastating the immediate area. As Flare stopped spinning, two energy blasts suddenly struck him from down below. Wiping away the smoke with a swing of his hand, he looked down to see the general, his Ray-Yu damaged, but still operational. Flare raised his hand, now glowing, and aimed his palm at the general, firing a spinning drill shaped beam of energy at the general's machine, hitting it between its chest and its left leg. Sparks flew, and the machine keeled over, yet Flare was not content to wait and see it explode. He crossed his arms, bent one knee, and spun around, surrounding himself with an aura as he became a drill of energy and shot down tunneling through the metal, ceramics, and plasma piping, until he reached his destination. The room was massive and dark, but even so he could still see the walls. All around him were Ultras, some had turned to stone, others were squirming, suffering, entrapped in biomechanical components, as tubes attached to their bodies injected nanites, as signified by the circuit lines that were growing on their bodies, circuits that covered the fossilized, dead Ultras. "No..." said Flare, which was when mechanical arms and tubes sped out of the darkness like spears, grabbing him. Part 6 Flare found himself held up and in pain, as the nanites entered his body. It was then that 'she' appeared, the queen, standing on her large circular platform atop a tower of tubes and wires. "Finally, the latest model..." she said. Flare was quick to translate her words. "The latest what...?" he remarked. "Model, you are the latest model of Ultra, their latest technology, now in our hand!" "After all this time, after all these ruined and destroyed lives, you still haven't figured out that Ultra are not cyborgs?!?" "Enough lies, if your people had simply shared their cybernetics then wouldn't have started this war." She waved her hand and arms began to take him away. "Coward..." Flare said, and he stopped. "Mind your tongue." "I think I will tell the truth. You lot abandoned your organics, and you were too pompous and lacking in empathy to take care of your lower classes, now you near extinction, your cybernetics can only hold back the weight of time for so long, so looked to us, beings more advance than you and in your fevered desperation you believed we were like you, cyborgs. We are just different, but you cannot accept that, won't accept that, because it would mean admitting that you were wrong to take the path you took. That is all this war is about, cowards trying to hide their shame, uncaring of who is lost in the crossfire. You are a race of dying cowards, content take everyone else down with you..." "Silence...!" "I am not your subject..." "You are within my power, my captive, that makes you mine!" "You are still not my queen, small thing...!" The queen roared and more arms and tubes attached themselves to Flare body. "I was going to examine you last, but I think I'll take you apart now!" "Keep dreaming..." Flare said. From within the nest of mechanical arms and tubes, came an orange light, a light that surged up the circuitry and all over the room, into the other Ultras, restoring those that could be restored, and then, explosions. Circuits, transformers, mechanisms, were all overloaded as the Ultras were released, and the machines around them destroyed. "No...NO!" She shouted. She then raised her hand, and more arms came and caught Flare, who was flying towards her with a karate chop with his right arm. "Accursed Ultra, I will see you all destroyed for this!" "Still so delusional, well, go with them..." was Flare's only response as brought his left arm across his right arm's wrist, firing an Ultra Beam, straight into the Queen. It was moments later, as explosion occurred all around the mechanical gambit that light began to shoot out from it, and head towards the Land of Giants. Disembodied spirits and Ultras using flash travel all fled towards the place as the Machine Empire capital began to break down. With an explosion Flare made a path for him upward which he walked through. He looked up to see the battle still raging, the loosing Machine Empire forces were no being pushed back, their spirit broken. Flare saw this and the Ultras he saved and took pride in his work. "Aren't we proud..." said Sol, standing beside him, in his robes, at a size comparable to Flare's. Flare's sense of pride faded replaced by a feeling of annoyance. "Is there any reason I shouldn't be...?" Sol looked at him, his expression stoic, calm, cerebral...cold. He then looked back the stars above and the conflict between them. "No, I suppose not. You have stopped an evil empire from conquering the galaxy and saved its protectors..." "I thought people weren't so simple, as 'good and evil'..." "Don't be coy. They were pompous, vainglorious tyrants, who force slavery of a physical and mental kind on people around them, all so they could maintain their luxury. They lied to themselves to justify their actions and when it became clear that their actions had consequences, they decided to burn everything else down with them." "Is that my lesson, to not be evil...?" "If you need to be taught 'that', then you are vast disappointment." Flare was clearly insulted by those words. "Still that is not the lesson. The lesson you should have learned is about power..." "I have amassed greater power..." "Yes, you have amassed great knowledge and therefore learned great abilities, but was not the lesson you were meant to learn." "Then..." Flare felt it, a bloodlust, a murderoud intent radiating from within the planet. There was an explosion and a beam, and a red Ultra walked up out of the planet's core. Spikes were on his shoulders, and knees, and his hands sported menacing claws. Flare recognized him, the 'Orion' boy, now bearing colors of red and black and roaring like a beast. Then everything turned grey, except for Sol. "Surprising isn't it. This is normally how it goes, each universe, he finds himself here, on this planet, his sensitive nature alerting him to the suffering of the Ultras around him like no other, and his bloodline, from another world of Ultras, a Kingdom of Warriors...it reacted to it all to bring about this. Ultras are born of reason you know, the blue light. Even the red ones, the core of their nature is the blue light which passes on wisdom. This one however, has fallen to his instinct, the red light of strength, of savagery. This is power ruling the mind." "But...he's not evil..." Flare said in his mind. "Indeed...but you are mistaken if you believe that matters. This is power ruling the mind, and it does not care for intentions, or what noble desires he previously had. Operating on instinct I suspect...well that he will go after the biggest threat..." It was then that Flare realized what was going to happen next, what was going to take place. It was then Sol turned to him. "Have fun...!" The color returned to the universe, and the motion, and in that instant Orion had punched Flare in the face and sent him flying backwards into pillars and towers. Orion roared and rushed after him, a black aura around his body with red lightning. Flare caught himself, stopped and rushed Orion, a gold and green aura around his body. The two clashed, strike each other's elbow with their elbows, the collision of the two opposing energy fields, causing a pulse of energy around them. "Why...why won't you fall...?!" Flare shouted. He raised his other hand, forming a sphere, and in response Orion put up his other hand, forming and X with them both. Red and black lightning arced up and down them, before he swung them open, sending Flare flying back. He caught himself and skidded across the metal. Orion flew after him, throwing a punch and Flare flew his. Their fists passed each other and struck the other in the jaw sending each stumbling back, but Orion recovered first, throwing punch after punch into Flare, before locking his legs around his waist and proceeding to punch him over and over again, before headbutting him over and over in the face. Somehow, Flare gathered the strength and wits to generate a pulse of energy, throwing Orion off, but he flipped and landed on all four, before charging at Flare, hand like a spear head, ready to pierce him in the gut. However, Flare caught his hand, and though he stumbled back at first, Flare summoned the power to hold him back. "I will not fall here, I will not be defeated by some, little..." Orion's hand, his fingers crackled with dark energy, and when he put his other hand across his forearm, he fired a red and black beam into Flare's gut sending him flying backwards. Flare landed, and his color timer turned red, flashing in response to his fatigue. Flare stood up and raised his hands, and the stars seemed to gather to lend him his light, until Orion let out a roar, sending a pulse of dark energy that pushed Flare back and erased the beams of star light. "Eldritch..." Flare said frightened. Then everything turned grey again, as Sol stepped forward from behind him. "He is not Eldritch, though I can understand the misconception." "He is a giant of darkness!" Flare shouted and stood motionless. "What is darkness to the eldritch? Yes, it is the closest thing to the void, but darkness exists because there is light. Does a world with no sun, have a night? Would its inhabitants know, would they know what they are missing. No the eldritch are something for worse than 'darkness'. Even darkness is part of the Word, light and dark, day and night, balance, order." "Then they are chaos!" "Closer, but also needs definition. No...they work towards, even if they don't realize it, oblivion of everything." "That is...enlightening, but how do I defeat him...?" Sol turned and looked at Orion. "Have you tried empathy...?" "This is no time for jokes!" "A joke...?" he turned back to Flare "When did empathy become a joke, to you of all people...?" "I learned my lesson!" "You learned a lesson, yet perhaps the wrong one. Justice without power may be powerless, but power without justice, without wisdom, or virtue... is well..." He motioned to Orion "Monstrous... In his days after here, he will hide that power, the red form, even the 'duller' version that he can control, because he fears power without wisdom and virtue, and rightfully so..." "I don't understand..." "Then you are a very poor student, because I have spelled out everything for you. Look at you with all your fancy tricks; a barrage of energy bullets, a beam to hold back an entire planet...something so small and simple as this...defies you..." "I don't understand...!" "No, you're out of your comfort zone, and perhaps, you should start asking questions. Such as...why are you fighting...?" Sol was gone and the color and motion was in the world. Orion finished his roar as he looked at Flare, scared...but he was now resolved. Part 7 Flare could only ponder what Sol meant. He coated his body in an aura, which increased his speed, while Orion chased after him. Somehow Orion, kept up with him, narrowly touching Flare with his claws, as he sent out wave of energy that destroyed the various towers. "Dang it, why isn't anyone helping me?!" "Because they think you know what you're doing..." said Sol "They think you're a super Ultra and thus in a fight were you are being pushed to the limit, no one believes they are of any use to you." Flare crossed his arms, blocking Orion's swipe, the discharge sending him skidding back. In response he swung open his arm, firing an arc of energy that Orion leaped over and came down with a charged axe kick. "You know this planet is soon going to explode, and even you two shouldn't be here when that happens..." "Help me!" Flare thought out loud. "Why, you don't need my help..." "I can't beat this thing..." "Indeed, so stop trying to beat it..." "Then how can I stop it..." Time stopped, and Flare was left frozen in place and Orion was coming down at him, also locked in place. "How far you've come....and yet...your mind is still so small. Or perhaps you've just grown too damn comfortable, with shooting things. You seem to think this war is a match of fists, it is not, it is a war for the soul of creation. On one side is creation, on the other side oblivion, and how does one side sway the masses to each?" "I don't know..." "I know you don't and you won't understand if you can understand 'this'. Flare, why is this young Ultra, so noble and pure...fighting you like a beast? What has happened to him..." "I...I don't know!" "Disappointment. I told you already. This is his body, his biology, unique among his peers here, reacting to his extreme emotion, his disgust at their action, is outrage at their cruelty, his despair at being unable to help his comrades." "i CAN'T FIGHT THAT...!" "Indeed, so don't find a solution besides your face..." "Father I need..." "I did not spawn a coward." Flare was silent "You wish to be a hero, you wish to save everyone, yet you're too afraid to think, to step outside your comfort zone. Do you believe victory is your birthright? Your birthright is the same as everyone else, the dirt, and anything you acquire is what is given to you, or what you acquire, and I have already given you everything you need, and you have already acquired what you need to know. All that is left is your inner strength and only you can give yourself that." "And if I fail..." "You will die..." "But that's-" "Exactly how they have fought, they may be Ultras but they are not 'Super Ultras'. Many of them have lost friends, family, loved ones, and still they came out here. He came out here knowing, understanding that he could die or worse. Even Prime knows this, for all his arrogance. Then there is you, you came here thinking yourself invincible, so powerful, heir and deserving of power and praise. Where is all that power, where is that bravery when victory is not assured?" "What...what do you want from me?!" "I want many things from you, such is my right to dream and hope, as your father. For the moment, I just want you to have a little compassion." Time began again, as Flare jumped back , flying away from Orion's arc of energy which chased after him. In that moment, he thought and pondered on all his father had said. What truly upset him with the truth. He came here pompous and conceited in his own sense of importance, that he was better than everyone. Now the literal manifestation of 'mortal problems' was chasing him down, and his father asks for 'compassion'. Then it hit Flare like a brick. The meaning of Sol's last words became so clear, as he landed and swatted away the energy blast. Orion was coming down from a long jump, claws charged with energy and rage burning. Flare opened his legs, and raised his clenched fists over his head. They were charged with energy, bright like a morning sun, leaving trails of fire. Flare took a fighting stance, one clenched fist to the side of his head, one hand outstretched and his upper body turned to the side. Then he turned his head to Orion, his eyes flashed, releasing a pulse of energy, and a bright light that forced Orion back. Something about that light bothered him. The light faded, and Orion circled Flare, who tracked him, keep his stance as he turned. Orion's instinct which had driven him to attack Flare, as the most dangerous target, now held him back, until Flare twitched, and then he lunged. He swiped but rather than blocking, or trying to dodge, Flare bared his chest. Upon contact, Flare's body released a burst of that same light, that made Orion recoil in pain while Flare proceeded to punch him repeatedly, each blow came with a burst of that same energy, flashing in and out of Orion's body. "Huh...you generated a calming field, and you're not channeling it via your body. You basically 'put compassion in your fists' and are now intent on beating the evil out of him..." "Disappointed...?" asked Flare as he delivered blow of after blow to Orion, punch, kick, and so forth. "Yes...no...It's a complicated feeling at this moment." Orion swung, and Flare caught his arm, locking his arm under his armpit and grabbing with the other arm, as he suddenly releasing a bright light. Orion howled, as the dark energy and lightning shot out of his body, disappearing in the presence of the light, and leaving Orion in his original form, unconscious. As if at that signal, the planet began to rumble. Flare looked down and saw that the safety mechnisms used to control the planet's energy supply had been damaged, most likely from all the fighting, and the lack of the Queen to operate it. Flare raised a fist and an aura covered Flare and Orion, into which they disappeared, and the light faded afterwards, before the first of the series of explosions took out the planet. Part 8 Orion awoke to the hugs and tears of his adopted family. The war was effectively over, the Ultras would have to clean up any stragglers and had already begun those operations, but the Machine War was over. Flare sat upon the satellite looking at the wall where graduations were held. I held the words of the Vow of Ultra behind a stand. He mused upon those words in silence and thought about all that had happened. "You alright...?" asked Prime "You don't look like the guy that just won the war and stopped a powerful evil Ultra..." "I didn't stop him, my father did..." "Yeah, I may not have the best eyes but..." "My father was talking to me the whole fight, criticizing me, directing me, and being a general pain...because everything he said was true. I did feel like I was better than everyone else, I did feel that everyone was beneath me...If I had actually treated this situation like I should've Orion wouldn't have gone mad sensing all the pain and suffering of his friends being tortured and dying." "Sir Flare, you messed up, everyone does that..." "I am supposed to be a Cinder Ultra, I'm supposed to be fighting things worse than that, worse than this...and I'm here because I'm too defective." Prime was silent. "Just because you know you're better than everyone, doesn't mean you don't care about everyone. There is objective truth and then there's how you react to it. That's all you can decide in the end. Take care." Prime flew off. "He's correct you know..." said Sol's voice. Flare would've given no care to those words were they not accompanied by the trembles of a giant's footsteps. He looked back to see...himself? However this alternate version of him had horns on his head, a beard, and was slightly bulkier in build. "Dad...?" "Who else...?" he said as he sat down next to him. "Is this another joke?" "Since when do I joke...like this. I prefer dry wit, thank you very much..." "So what is this...?" "This is my personal Ultra incarnation, not the cheap and quick golden one I make, but one gifted to me by another, and has since been my favorite." "Wait so..." "Yes...You were made in my direct image." "Why...?" "Who knows...?" "You do..." he replied annoyed. "Indeed, doesn't mean I'm going to tell you..." Flare grumbled. "I will tell you this...keep trying, and keep...caring, and I will always be proud of you..." "Not like you show it..." "Oh, you noticed, then you should take comfort when I am 'not' reprimanding you." "Huh..." "Have you ever had sparkle cake...?" "What...?" "The Ultra here found a way to make sugar 'made of light' and put that in cooking..." "Ultra don't need to eat..." "Indeed..." "And they can't open their mouths..." Sol turned to his son and opened his mouth, showing a dark hole with an orange white glow at the back, while altogether looking disturbing until he shut his mouth. "Never do that again..." "And that's why Ultras typically only open their mouths in private. Come I'll get you some." "Why..." he asked as Sol forced the two to get up. "Because often get a reason, a chance, or an inclination to treat my kids to candy..." "Huh...do they have ice-cream?" "They have candy and treats you've literally never heard of." "Then, sure, let's go..." The two flew off towards the Land of Giants.Category:Ultraman Flare Category:SolZen321 Category:Metaverse Series Category:Fan Episodes Category:Completed Works